Wednesday, May 30, 2007

"Come and worship in a traditional church setting, but in a VERY untraditional way. We'll be using the songs of one of the world's most popular bands to 'sing a new song' to God and to a world that needs to hear a voice of strength, courage, love and peace."

The Set ListWhere the Streets Have No NameVertigoGod Part IIMysterious Ways[talking -- included a shout out to all the non-believers in the house. that was not the exact phrase the preacher lady used. that is a phrase that Donnie Wahlberg uses in "No More Games" (the remix).]Elevation[more talking -- this was in fact a litu2rgy]Pride (in the name of love)[lotsa talking]One40 + prayers [if i was religious, this would have ruled][talking]When Love Comes to Town[escape attempt -- thwarted! Elevation the Tribute Band borrowed another of U2's moves. "Bono" and "The Edge" and "Adam" came strolling down the aisle from the stage singing and playing. Snap! We were nearly busted trying to sneak out. Instead, "Adam" totally nodded at me and said, "hey" or something. And I (whilst singing along and clapping enthusiastically) nodded hey back.]Love and Peace or Else[escape! we missed the end of the set but i'm guessing it contained Beautiful Day. if not, they totes dropped the ball. nay, lost the ball.]

On our way out, a man and a woman were following right behind us and we thought it was a boyfriend and a girlfriend, the girlfriend rather loudly arguing with him about how much he put in the donation box. HOWEVER -- it was actually a woman accusing a vagrant-y type of stealing from the donation box. "They help the helpless but the helpless are not allowed to help themselves." (Charlie B.)

And yes, of course, every time they said "help the helpless" in their u2charist, i thought fondly of Angel Investigations.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Friday, May 25, 2007

Kerry of Pickle Me This recently posted on the Bookninja Office Haiku collection and today both of ours are up there! (Mine under my 'pseudonym' and an old one at the ready, was on this blog way back in '05.)

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Today Nicholas Campbell was actually *on* my streetcar on my way to work. So maybe he lives near me and works in Leslieville? I do not yet know.

However even if he does not live in Leslieville, he definitely frequents the area and I still want to live there. There is a cheese boutique with a sign in the window advertising their new kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Nikki posted a powerful call-to-arms written by the one and only Joss Whedon. I needed that kick in the ass -- I generally just read about the horrible state of the world or am appalled by the representation and treatment of women in our culture and do verrrrry little about it. Anyway, I've copied and pasted Joss's words here, or you can read it and comment at Whedonesque. Thanks Nikki for posting this on your blog.

Last month seventeen year old Dua Khalil was pulled into a crowd of young men, some of them (the instigators) family, who then kicked and stoned her to death. This is an example of the breath-taking oxymoron “honor killing”, in which a family member (almost always female) is murdered for some religious or ethical transgression. Dua Khalil, who was of the Yazidi faith, had been seen in the company of a Sunni Muslim, and possibly suspected of having married him or converted. That she was torturously murdered for this is not, in fact, a particularly uncommon story. But now you can watch the action up close on CNN. Because as the girl was on the ground trying to get up, her face nothing but red, the few in the group of more than twenty men who were not busy kicking her and hurling stones at her were filming the event with their camera-phones.

There were security officers standing outside the area doing nothing, but the footage of the murder was taken – by more than one phone – from the front row. Which means whoever shot it did so not to record the horror of the event, but to commemorate it. To share it. Because it was cool.

I could start a rant about the level to which we have become desensitized to violence, about the evils of the voyeuristic digital world in which everything is shown and everything is game, but honestly, it’s been said. And I certainly have no jingoistic cultural agenda. I like to think that in America this would be considered unbearably appalling, that Kitty Genovese is still remembered, that we are more evolved. But coincidentally, right before I stumbled on this vid I watched the trailer for “Captivity”.

A few of you may know that I took public exception to the billboard campaign for this film, which showed a concise narrative of the kidnapping, torture and murder of a sexy young woman. I wanted to see if the film was perhaps more substantial (especially given the fact that it was directed by “The Killing Fields” Roland Joffe) than the exploitive ad campaign had painted it. The trailer resembles nothing so much as the CNN story on Dua Khalil. Pretty much all you learn is that Elisha Cuthbert is beautiful, then kidnapped, inventively, repeatedly and horrifically tortured, and that the first thing she screams is “I’m sorry”.

How did more than half the people in the world come out incorrectly? I have spent a good part of my life trying to do that math, and I’m no closer to a viable equation. And I have yet to find a culture that doesn’t buy into it. Women’s inferiority – in fact, their malevolence -- is as ingrained in American popular culture as it is anywhere they’re sporting burkhas. I find it in movies, I hear it in the jokes of colleagues, I see it plastered on billboards, and not just the ones for horror movies. Women are weak. Women are manipulative. Women are somehow morally unfinished. (Objectification: another tangential rant avoided.) And the logical extension of this line of thinking is that women are, at the very least, expendable.

I try to think how we got here. The theory I developed in college (shared by many I’m sure) is one I have yet to beat: Womb Envy. Biology: women are generally smaller and weaker than men. But they’re also much tougher. Put simply, men are strong enough to overpower a woman and propagate. Women are tough enough to have and nurture children, with or without the aid of a man. Oh, and they’ve also got the equipment to do that, to be part of the life cycle, to create and bond in a way no man ever really will. Somewhere a long time ago a bunch of men got together and said, “If all we do is hunt and gather, let’s make hunting and gathering the awesomest achievement, and let’s make childbirth kinda weak and shameful.” It’s a rather silly simplification, but I believe on a mass, unconscious level, it’s entirely true. How else to explain the fact that cultures who would die to eradicate each other have always agreed on one issue? That every popular religion puts restrictions on women’s behavior that are practically untenable? That the act of being a free, attractive, self-assertive woman is punishable by torture and death? In the case of this upcoming torture-porn, fictional. In the case of Dua Khalil, mundanely, unthinkably real. And both available for your viewing pleasure.

It’s safe to say that I’ve snapped. That something broke, like one of those robots you can conquer with a logical conundrum. All my life I’ve looked at this faulty equation, trying to understand, and I’ve shorted out. I don’t pretend to be a great guy; I know really really well about objectification, trust me. And I’m not for a second going down the “women are saints” route – that just leads to more stone-throwing (and occasional Joan-burning). I just think there is the staggering imbalance in the world that we all just take for granted. If we were all told the sky was evil, or at best a little embarrassing, and we ought not look at it, wouldn’t that tradition eventually fall apart? (I was going to use ‘trees’ as my example, but at the rate we’re getting rid of them I’m pretty sure we really do think they’re evil. See how all rants become one?)

Now those of you who frequent this site are, in my wildly biased opinion, fairly evolved. You may hear nothing new here. You may be way ahead of me. But I can’t contain my despair, for Dua Khalil, for humanity, for the world we’re shaping. Those of you who have followed the link I set up know that it doesn’t bring you to a video of a murder. It brings you to a place of sanity, of people who have never stopped asking the question of what is wrong with this world and have set about trying to change the answer. Because it’s no longer enough to be a decent person. It’s no longer enough to shake our heads and make concerned grimaces at the news. True enlightened activism is the only thing that can save humanity from itself. I’ve always had a bent towards apocalyptic fiction, and I’m beginning to understand why. I look and I see the earth in flames. Her face was nothing but red.

All I ask is this: Do something. Try something. Speaking out, showing up, writing a letter, a check, a strongly worded e-mail. Pick a cause – there are few unworthy ones. And nudge yourself past the brink of tacit support to action. Once a month, once a year, or just once. If you can’t think of what to do, there is this handy link. Even just learning enough about a subject so you can speak against an opponent eloquently makes you an unusual personage. Start with that. Any one of you would have cried out, would have intervened, had you been in that crowd in Bashiqa. Well thanks to digital technology, you’re all in it now.

I have never had any faith in humanity. But I will give us props on this: if we can evolve, invent and theorize our way into the technologically magical, culturally diverse and artistically magnificent race we are and still get people to buy the idiotic idea that half of us are inferior, we’re pretty amazing. Let our next sleight of hand be to make that myth disappear.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

silly youtube. i tried posting that salad fingers & spice video from youtube and received a message saying that the post would be up shortly. 48 hours later...that is not "shortly" in this digital age. anywho.

there were two new episodes of veronica mars on tonight and i had no idea. i missed the first one. why? why, you ask? because forbes and i (yes, i'm dragging him down with me here) were watching The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman -- After the Rose Ceremony. This is the hideous post-decision episode where the broken-hearted rejected girls get to describe how broken hearted and rejected they feel and then the happy couple comes out and kisses and wins a trip to Peru.anyway, Andy (the bachelor....well, not anymore ladies...) chose Tessa. you may recall, avid readers, a while back when I watched the Bachelor and then blogged on my experience:

"he just said he thought one of the contestants (tessa) was 'wife material.' what does that even meeeeaaaaaan?"

I guess what Andy Baldwin meant was that he would get engaged to her. Makes sense. Pretty straightforward actually. The nice host Chris mentioned that the Bachelor, in its 10 seasons, has now sucessfully match-made four couples (counting Andy and Tessa). But I don't think Andy and Tessa count yet. So, counting the three successful couples, for the bachelors, that's a 33.3% chance of finding love on the show. And for the bachelorettes, that's a 1.3% chance. Sounds about right to me.

in other tv news, the finale to Heroes sucked. if i were sylar, i would slice open its head and then not eat its brain because it clearly has no super power.

Nightmares is what you'll have. Adrienne -- shiny friendly loving Adrienne -- sent this over a while back. And now, on a sunny Saturday morning, I am totes freaked out. And need to watch more episodes.

Monday, May 21, 2007

why didn't i think of this earlier? youtube is full of Spice Girl goodness. here is my fabbity fav rarity, "outer space girls." they'll rock you to the moon. (there's no video, by the way, just the perfect song.)

Sunday, May 20, 2007

AOR = Album Oriented RockNWOBHM = New Wave of British Heavy MetalOTT = over the top (I thought this term was only used in YM and Seventeen magazines. I was wrong.)"Hipgnosis" is correctly spelled and you can find out what it is hereJP Trivia: Judas Priest's last show before Rob Halford left the band in 1991 was right here in Toronto.Booyah.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

"you all everybody" has been in my head since wednesday night's ep of lost. i think it is my punishment for soverymuch wanting Charlie to be killed off. pleeeease.

my life has been very tv-centric lately. what with all the season finales and lead-ups to the season finales. vair vair soon however i will be free as a bird. free to watch arrested development on dvd over and over and over again.

i watched the 7 episodes of salad fingers today and freaked myself right the fuck out. swear = necessary in this situation. i know salad fingers has been around for a while and most of you two have likely already seen it, but holy lords of kobol.

ah yes. i have been meaning to mention this here for a while.

Topic: Canadian Celebrities* I See On My Way to WorkFact 1: Ziggy who used to have a show on Much or City (or both) is quite frequently on the same 501 streetcar as me. She is going to the classical 96.something building. That was really confusing at first but then I saw those ads with Moses in the tub saying he bought the stationand it made more sense. She looks good -- very well groomed and all -- and wears a giant floor length fur coat in the winter.

Fact 2: Da Vinci of Da Vinci's Inquest a.k.a. Nicholas Campbell very often gets his morning Starbucks and is waiting to cross to the south side of Queen just as my streetcar goes by. I adore him so it is quite the day-maker when I see him. And his presence is yet another reason I want to move to Leslieville.

*I use that term very loosely and reluctantly.

I would like to thank Blogger for its new feature -- autosave. I just accidentally closed the window I was bloggin in and thought I had lost all bloggery and lately I haven't been very bloggerous at all. But then Blogger stepped in and save the bloggy day. Blogs off to you, Blogger.

Monday, May 07, 2007

Five things about my grandpa that I bet you didn't know:1. He did laundry with Gene Kelly in the U.S. Navy2. He walked from England to Australia. Walking back and forth shoveling coal on a ship3. My favourite sweater (it's sorta rust coloured) was his and my grandma Anne knit it for him4. His hands were very strong 5. The last time we hung out (before he died) we played a board game version of Wheel of Fortune

Two years ago, I was out on a walk about the city and saw a brooch with a tall ship on it. It reminded me of my grandpa Tom cause he was a sailor. So I bought it thinking of him. Then later I talked to my dad and he said it was grandpa's birthday. So there. Psychic connection or whathaveyou.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Everyone thinks about recycling but we forget about the other 2 Rs: reducing and reusing. So to encourage more reusing, here's something that also appears in the land of Facebook. At least two of you part-time readers don't go there, so i bring this to you. It's the soundtrack to my life, as determined by the random shuffle function in my iTunes.

Opening Credits: Back to Black - Amy Winehouse

Waking up: Lover's Spit - Broken Social Scene

First Day at High school: Happy Christmas (War is Over) - Neil Diamond

Falling In Love: I'm Afraid of Americans - David Bowie

Fight Song: Holler - Spice Girls

Breaking Up: Here It Goes Again - OK Go

Prom: Don't Think of Me - Dido

Life: Black Cherry - Goldfrapp

Mental Breakdown: Mama - Spice Girls

Driving: Suite from "Hush" - Buffy the Vampire Slayer soundtrack

Flashback: Sparkling Diamonds - Moulin Rouge soundtrack

Getting Back Together: Why - Mel C

Wedding: Meet Me in the Red Room - Moulin Rouge soundtrack

Birth of Child: Like Glue - Sean Paul

Final Battle: Sorry - Madonna

Death Scene: I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross

Funeral Song: From the Bottom of My Broken Heart - Britney Spears (oh i wish i was joking.)

End Credits: Talula - Tori Amos

K, now do yours: 1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)2. Put it on shuffle3. Press play4. For every question, type the song that's playing5. When you go to a new question, press the next button6. Don't lie